{"id":785082,"date":"2026-05-09T21:08:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-09T21:08:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/785082\/"},"modified":"2026-05-09T21:08:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T21:08:14","slug":"advocates-educators-warn-nyc-students-could-be-at-risk-under-new-ai-school-guidelines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/785082\/","title":{"rendered":"Advocates, educators warn NYC students could be at risk under new AI school guidelines"},"content":{"rendered":"

The city\u2019s embrace of artificial intelligence in public schools could irreparably harm students, dumbing them down and leaving them dependent on the tech<\/a>, critics warned.<\/p>\n

Parents and educators generated a blizzard of more than 6,000 comments during a 45-day feedback period that ended Friday on the Department of Education\u2019s AI plan \u2014 with many terrified the system is nowhere near ready for AI<\/a> in the classrooms.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe reject the DOE\u2019s sham 45 day process and inadequate, cramped survey for what is clearly a foregone conclusion to embrace big tech at the expense of our students,\u201d said advocacy group Parent Coalition for Student Privacy.<\/p>\n

Experts are worried what AI will do to young minds in NYC schools.
Jack Forbes \/ NY Post Design<\/p>\n

The city in March rolled out the AI plan using a \u201cstoplight\u201d system \u2014 \u201cred\u201d AI uses will never be allowed in schools; \u201cyellow\u201d requires \u201ccareful judgment\u201d and \u201cadult oversight\u201d; and \u201cgreen\u201d is \u201capproved and encouraged,\u201d per the guidelines<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you do look at the guide when you do look at the guidelines, it is very focused on teachers,\u201d she explained,\u201d said Jennifer Weber, a fellow for K-12 Education Policy at the Manhattan Institute who is researching AI in education.<\/p>\n

But they lack guidance on how exactly students should be incorporating AI into their academic routines \u2014 or establish where the line between AI-assistance and outright cheating is drawn. <\/p>\n

Approved \u201cgreen\u201d uses mainly pertain to teachers employing the tech to brainstorm, schedule, translate and draft materials.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The \u201cyellow\u201d usages \u2014 slammed as the most ambiguous \u2014 include students using AI for \u201cresearch, exploration and creative projects.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Teachers can use the technology to interpret data about their students and for translations for diverse learners or \u201ccritical communications\u201d as long as they are reviewed by the appropriate specialist before being finalized.\u00a0These usages are also \u201cyellow.\u201d <\/p>\n

Forbidden \u201cred\u201d uses include placement decisions, discipline, grading, special education plans, behavioral monitoring, counseling and data protection \u2014 areas the city says AI will never touch.<\/p>\n

The guidelines don\u2019t address students\u2019 developing brains \u2014 and what the tech crutch will mean for it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the focus needs to be on the developmental side for kids and right now New York City\u2019s guidelines have focused all on the teachers,\u201d said Weber.<\/p>\n

Main concerns over AI integration include students\u2019 cognitive development and vague guidelines. HockleyMedia\/peopleimages.com \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

She\u2019s concerned AI could \u201creplace learning,\u201d especially for the city\u2019s youngest students who lack fundamental skills.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not really teaching critical thinking anymore and in many ways kids don\u2019t even really know how to ask questions,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The city has been embracing AI through its partnerships. The department has a longstanding relationship with Kaplan, which recently rolled-out AI add-ons. The department\u2019s governing body recently approved a $500,000 contract with the company, according to Chalkbeat<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In 2023, city schools partnered with Microsoft to launch Gen AI<\/a>, a chat bot for students meant to support study habits and \u201csupplement classroom learning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Weber referenced how detrimental \u201cone-to-one\u201d learning was during the pandemic \u2014 when students only learned through a screen \u2014 and fears students using AI as a \u201ccrutch\u201d would trigger a crisis far worse.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While Weber does not believe a full-on AI ban is the way to tackle this looming matter, advocates and lawmakers are demanding a moratorium until there is more transparency. Halfpoint \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

Advocates and lawmakers are demanding a tech moratorium until there is more transparency.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve never been an activist before, but I feel so strongly about this,\u201d one Park Slope mom said at a nearly seven-hour meeting of the PEP in front of \u00a0Chinatown\u2019s MS 131 \u00a0on April 29, according to Chalkbeat.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is starting. Gen Z is turning against AI; I\u2019m turning against AI. The city is telling us that AI is inevitable<\/a>, but won\u2019t tell me what devices and applications my children are using.\u201d<\/p>\n

A petition with more than 3,300 signatures is calling on Mayor Mamdani<\/a> and Chancellor Kamar Samuels to prevent new DOE contracts with products or curricula using AI, and halt all products currently being used to collect student data.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Brooklyn Assemblyman Robert Carroll introduced a bill in November 2025 to put a moratorium on using AI in K-8 instruction.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s detrimental for children,\u201d Carroll said. \u201cDetrimental in their social emotional learning, in creative brainstorming.<\/p>\n

Mamdani spokesperson Julia Lyle reference the AI guidelines and said the department will continue to update families and educators as \u201cit develops a more comprehensive approach to AI in our schools.\u201d<\/p>\n

Samuels did not respond to requests for comment.\u00a0DOE spokesperson Isla Gething assured the administration is committed to students\u2019 learning.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe believe strong policy is built with communities, not for them, which is why we established a 45-day public feedback period to gather meaningful input,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will conduct a thorough review and analysis of all responses to help inform the next phase of this work. We remain grounded in a core principle: AI can never replace the care, love, and dedication that defines exceptional teaching.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The city\u2019s embrace of artificial intelligence in public schools could irreparably harm students, dumbing them down and leaving…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":785083,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5122],"tags":[5229,738,17452,5248,405,403,5226,5225,5228,5227,40852,6214,67,586,132,5230,68,1154,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-785082","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-artificial-intelligence","10":"tag-department-of-education","11":"tag-metro","12":"tag-new-york","13":"tag-new-york-city","14":"tag-newyork","15":"tag-newyorkcity","16":"tag-ny","17":"tag-nyc","18":"tag-public-schools","19":"tag-students","20":"tag-united-states","21":"tag-united-states-of-america","22":"tag-unitedstates","23":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","24":"tag-us","25":"tag-us-news","26":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116546666995279592","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/785082","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=785082"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/785082\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/785083"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=785082"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=785082"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=785082"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}